REGION: Property values to decline fourth straight year

"The big elephant sitting in the room is the high cost of
realignment," Stone said.

He was talking about Sacramento's new
policy
of sending convicted nonviolent
criminals to county jails instead of state prisons. Stone said it
remains to be seen whether the state will provide counties with
adequate funding to cover the cost of housing those extra
inmates.

A few months into the program, the influx of criminals already
has
filled
the county correctional system, and
jails are having to release inmates to make room.

Stone said the county must start planning to expand its jail
system.

To raise cash for that, he proposed selling the new 10-story
office building in downtown Riverside that the board bought in 2008
for the district attorney, and leasing it back.